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| A pair of pink Bristol Lusters with Hand Painted Portraits. |
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| A Pair of Vases with Hand painted Birds and Flowers |
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| Unusual Shaped Pair of Vases with Butterflies and Flowers. |
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| Another pair of Lusters. |
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| This Pair of Vases were my first pieces of Pink Bristol. I was teaching school and just out of college. I put them in lay-away at a shop in my home town.Clarksville,Mo. |
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| 3 pieces of Bristol that are in my Guest Room. |
Once when I was out antique shopping with my friend, Sali , in Chicago, I looked at a beautiful pink Bristol vase and I said ,"I think the Lord made all the pink Bristol in the world ,just for me". latter that day when we got back to my friends home she handed me a bag and said,"the Lord just bought you a piece of pink Bristol." She had bought me the vase that I was looking at,when I was not looking. I am sorry if I have stepped on some toes talking about the Lord, in this way, but I asure you I ment no disrespect.I only ment that He had been good to me and made it possible to have so much beautiful pink Bristol. I had at one time a lot of pieces. Two of my favorite pieces I broke. Yes, Me. Not the kids,dogs,cats or cleaning people,ME. One was a tussie mussie vase. A spelter dog with a pink Bristol bud vase. My dearest friend,Blossom, had bought it for me for my birthday. We were on a shopping trip and I was saying I was hoping to find a piece of pink Bristol. She saw this precious piece and said,like magic, here it is. Well I broke the bud vase part. The dog is fine and I have since then found another Bristol bud vase that fits, but it is not PINK. The other piece I broke was another tussie mussie. I guess I should stay away from them. It was a beauty. A gold wire frame held this wonderful pink vase that was all covered in jewels. I found it in Kansas City , again with my friend Blossom. The shop was not open and this vase was in the window. I made Blossom stay over night so I could go in that shop and get the vase the next day. Now it too is broken. But, I have those memories.
Victorian Bristol glass is known for its delicate and hand painted motifs. The more desirable pieces show off finely drawn and fanciful decorations. The finest glass was made at Bristol.England during the middle of the 1700's. Advances in production allowed for the glass to become more affordable during the 1800's. Today, the Bristol name is sometimes more synonymous with the lesser quality of opaque glass, typically decorated with hand painted flowers, portraits,birds and scenes. Bristol glass ended up being manufactured in Germany,France,Bohemia and Spain, besides in England. None of the glass produced outside Bristol was equal in quality to that made in Bristol. Real Bristol glass is rare and most glass that dealers and collectors call Bristol today was actually made in Germany. So the name Bristol Glass has been attached to the type of glass not the maker. A old time antique dealer friend of mine told me a long time ago, that one call always tell Bristol glass, if you hold it up to a very bright light and look through to the bottom you should see fire. Try it!
These mold blown vessels made of semi-opaque and opalesent glass are rich in color and decoration.White is most common,other colors include blue,amber,green ,pink,custard,fireglow and clear. The glass is usually decorated with bright enameling and gold trim. The name Bristol refers to one of the arears in England where glass was originally made. Other area of England that produced Bristol are Sunderland,Stourbridge,Newcastle,Chespstow,Warreington and Birmingham. Production is believed to have originated in the Bowles factory in Southwork. Because of similarities in decoration and possibly lack of research it is difficult to distinguish the origins of various pieces.
Bristol reproductions are rare and noticeably inferior quality. so buyers do not need to worry if it is a real piece or not.
I did an antique show many years back with my partner, Louise. We wanted to show off. We rented 2 booths and after looking at each others mercandise, we decieded to call our booths, "Party on the Porch". It was spring. I coverd our fake walls with brick looking wallpaper. We put white lattis on the ceiling. I had a beautiful sign made.She had a lot of wicker,iron furniture and country pine. I have always had the more formal junk, so I had silver,glass, needlepoint pillows and to show off again , I took a lot of my pink Bristol glass. We both had tons of blooming plants that we latter used in our gardens. Can you see the booth??? Well the time was right and people bought all my pink Bristol.. My partner said," now you have all that money". and I said, "yes but no PINK BRISTOL".Sometimes money does not always buy happiness. Well, I managed to save a few pieces and I am sharing them and my stories with you all today. Come by for a tour anytime. I will leave the lights on and Sissy Dog will meet you with a jump and a KISS!
